


A New Family

by FeliciaBelle



Category: Undertale (Video Game), Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Asriel Dreemurr Lives, Chara Has Their Own Body, Female Chara (Undertale), Female Frisk, I just want Seto and Mokuba to have a happy family, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-04-07 09:18:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14077722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeliciaBelle/pseuds/FeliciaBelle
Summary: It's been some time since the events of Death-T and Duelist Kingdom. While Seto and Mokuba tried to move on past those, a new problem for them arises.





	1. The Phone Call

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is is basically an excuse for me to give the Kaibas a happy family. Everything will be the same (to an extent), except, our favorite brothers are being adopted by a loving family.
> 
> Chances of the tags being edited when I get further in this, so be on the look out for that. Also; Special thanks to my three friends from tumblr for being my Beta's! Catfishofoldin99colors, Pleasinglytherandom (And my main partner in crime), and finally Askasamifeiandaki
> 
> Thank you for being patient with my notes. Please enjoy.  
> -Mod Panda

Seto yawned and looked out the window of his limo at the building looking over the city. Kaiba Corporation, the pinnacle of gaming technology and soon amusement parks around the world, and so far his dream was going to be a reality. The only draw back is catching up on paperwork and getting the company standing, but it was only a minor setback, working hard was what he did best and with enough coffee and five hour energy drinks he should get everything done and back on track within a month or so.

Getting out of the limo, he strode into the building where he was greeted by his employees. He made sure to stare down at everyone to see if he couldn't find a rat among the group, after having a good number of his subordinates turn on and nearly killing him he wasn't going to take chances. He got a few flinches from his hard gaze, which was always a good sign.

“Ladies.” he greeted the front desk as he made his way to the elevator.

“Good morning, Mr. Kaiba.” They greeted.

Normally he hardly noticed the music playing inside, but today was classic rock, no doubt an intern had a hand in it. He would have a talk with them later unless he got enough complaints about it. With a ding, the doors opened and he walked out to be greeted by his secretary, Isono, probably one of few who really was loyal to him and his brother.

“Good Morning, Mr. Kaiba.” He handed him the mail. “The usual”

Seto accepted the letters and went into his office. He sat down and scanned through each envelope. Bills. Bills. A resignation letter. Junk mail. Letter from the orphanage.

Wait. Letter from the Orphanage?

Seto looked over the letter with great disgust, he had just gotten back from Duelist Kingdom and saving his company from a mass take over and now he was greeted to this piece of filth the Domino Orphanage had sent him. Without even bothering to read the content, he tore the letter and discarded it into the shredder without a second thought, if it was important they could call and even then he wouldn't give them the time of his day. Acting as if the letter had never existed, he immediately grabbed a near by pen and did a little doodle on a notepad to check for ink, nodding in approval.

Isono cleared his throat to get his boss' attention.

“Mr. Kaiba?” he started.

“If it's about the letter, save it. All I care about now is trying to get everything back in order.” Seto clenched his pen and went through some of the files and paperwork that needed to be done. “I'm behind on work as is no thanks to that coma.” he said with a scowl forming, his grip on the pen tightening with each sentence.

“Yes sir, I understand. But it might have been urgent,.” He paused, being careful to choose his next words. “I mean, they never contact you unless it was something that requires your attention.”

“Then they can call the office and they can direct it to voice mail.” He was starting to stab the paper, almost writing hard enough to rip through the paper. “Don't you have something else to do? If not, then find something. Sudoku, crossword, anything.” he snapped.

Isono didn't say another word. Anytime Seto was this upset, it was probably best to leave him alone unless you had another job to go to. The man bowed before leaving the young CEO in his office alone.

After things had finally quieted down Seto's grip on the pen loosened and he was able to write without tearing the paper in half out of rage, he reached to the music player on his desk and hit the play button letting music fill the air; Take my Breath Away by Berlin. Berlin, as well as chess, were his only escape from the harsh and stress of reality.

But of course, despite the little escape, reality always had a way of creeping up on him. The ringing of the phone disrupted the calm of the music.

Seto closed his eyes and sighed. “If I ignore it, it will go away.”

The phone rang a few times before the voice mail picked up; “This is the Office of Seto Kaiba, I'm sorry I can't answer. I'm either in a meeting or catching up on important projects or overseas on business. Please leave a message and if I'm not too busy I'll try to return your call.” Seto grinned a little to himself in pride. Official and professional for his age, which was pretty damn impressive if he said so himself.

“Mr. Kaiba? This is the head of the Domino Orphanage, I understand you are a very busy person but we have some important things to discuss about you and your brother, Mokuba.” The caller had a bit of urgency in his voice

Cue pausing, and holding the pen in mid air. His stomach clenched and his fingers griped the pen even tighter at the unpleasant man's words. Important how?

As if reading his mind, the caller continued; “I would like to discuss this further with you. Please call back or email when you're able to, the sooner the better-”

With a sigh, Seto picked up the phone to answer the call. “Pardon about that, I just got back in the office.” He was trying not to grit his teeth too hard. “Now, what were you saying, exactly?”

The orphanage director paused for some time before he spoke, he then heaved a soft sigh as if he weren't looking forward to this. Seto bit his lips a little.“Seto, we've been informed of the following; you were in a shock induced coma for five months?”

“Yes, I was in shock. And I was under 24/7 hour care during such. I was actually paying my medical bill when you called.” He answered, rolling his eyes. “It was a virtual malfunction, everything is fixed now so that it won't happen again.”

“And your brother? Where was he while you were under medical watch?”

 _Being kidnapped by the snakes that turned to work for Pegasus._ Seto cleared his throat to regain himself, “Isono and a few trusted body guards were on hand, as well as the servants of the Kaiba manor.”

There was a pause before the caller continued. “So, what you're saying is, there was no legal or approved guardian around?”

“In case you forgot, our stepfather passed away.” Seto clenched his teeth and cringed at the mention of that bastard. Everything was in their files and the director knew it all perfectly well! Not to mention Gozoburo's suicide was on every damn news station in existence! The director was being an ass, dredging up memories Seto wanted to keep hidden away. “Look, can I ask what the hell this is all about? Why are you asking this?”

“Seto we've been receiving reports from an anonymous source about the condition of your family. With the way things are going, it's not looking good. Before, we were able to turn a blind eye to a minor running a company, but when there isn't a guardian for your brother while on medical leave, or even someone to watch over the company and family, we have to take a stand. By law, if you do not find a guardian figure to watch over you two until you're of age, you're returning here. Both of you.”

The world just froze in that instant, Seto's memories flashed back to the penalty game he'd been forced to fight. Helpless. At the whims of others more powerful than him who dangled his own helplessness in front of him just to mock him. His heart just stopped, bile rose in his throat. Going back to that hell on earth? They couldn't be serious! They wouldn't dare! Seto took a breath of air to settle his nerves; now was not the time to panic or lash out that would only give these bastards the fuel to work with.

“You said you were able to turn a blind eye before. I will pay you whatever amount to do the same.” Seto bargained. “Any amount, you name it. I will even pay to renovate the place if that's what you want-”

“You're not going to be able to bribe your way out of this, Seto. You've tried before when you were a child. I'm sorry, but this is the way things are.” The man heaved a put-upon sigh. “We'll give you two weeks.”

“No. No, you are not giving us two weeks. I am not having another sadistic and cruel bastard like our former stepfather, you're giving us enough time to screen families out there and find some proper care for us! I don't care if it takes a month to do it!”

“Seto, by law-”

“Fuck the law! I'm setting the deadline and the deadline is on my terms. You'll hear from me. Got it?” Seto snapped angrily, but even he could hear the desperation in his voice.

“Two weeks, I'm sorry, but that's final.”

The line went dead and Seto was left in the still office with Berlin still playing. Mindlessly, he turned his music off and dropped the pen he was holding.

This was a disaster. Everything he had endured, everything he worked for, shaping the company from the war manufacturing storm into games and theme parks for families alike, being torn from his iron grasp he had wrought so proudly, thinking he had finally won and that they were safe. To him, he was losing it all. Losing his legacy, losing what little family he had...his family. Mokuba. God what would he tell the kid! He could cover it and make an excuse but, that would just hurt them both more so than the truth... He had to think of something, he couldn't bear to let his little brother go through that hell again. The guardian thing was a challenge, it wasn't like he could go and put an ad out he wasn't stupid enough to let a potential gold digging serial killer live among them and he sure as hell wasn't desperate enough to call up every nuclear family out there and ask to pose as a family for social workers. Hell, he couldn't even bear to go to Yugi, although the kind hearted twerp would probably do everything in his power to help.

Actually. He was.

Seto grabbed his phone and dialed Isono's number. It took a few tries due to his shaky hand before he finally got the man on the other line.

“Isono, I have a job for you I'd appreciate it if you were discreet. I don't want the media getting wind of this.” He took a breath to settle again. “I need you to look into families. Just, look for a family complete with two parents, maybe a few kids. No criminal record and the kids are well behaved. Good household just...A typical close-knit family that you see on those American sitcoms.” He slapped his forehead and hung up. He lowered his head to the desk and groaned, face flushed with humiliation. Isono might know better than to ask questions when he was in this kind of a mood, but he'd certainly have some idea what was up, and it was embarrassing.

Now that he got that mess out of the way, he could worry about talking to his brother.

\- - -

The task that Seto gave him was an unusual one, but after his boss got that letter and other form of notification, he had a feeling he knew why this task was asked of him. Still, he was going to go through with it, and he was going to find the impossible. After going through every bit of personal records of the residents of Domino, the only family that seemed to fit what his boss was asking for was the Dreemurr family and from what he could find; the parents were in some kind of couple therapy but still together, three kids, parents seemed to have pretty good stable funding as they lived in a nice house in the suburbs.

Isono nodded in approval. They would have to do, they may seem a bit weird on the outside and may be a little off but they fit the description that his boss was asking for. He called the residence and waited a bit for an answer.

“Hello?” came a gentle woman's voice.

“Am I speaking to Toriel Dreemurr?” Isono asked.

“Yes, may I ask who's calling?”

“My name is Isono, I work for Kaiba Corporation. Now before you hang up on me, please hear me out. My boss is in a predicament and I'm calling on his behalf.”

Toriel fell quiet for a minute before asking. “I am not going to help with some corporate embezzlement if that is what you are going to ask of me.”

“Not at all ma'am.” He assured. “The shortened version is that my boss is working on a family project, his theme park project, and he asked me to invite families over for an interview. He figured it would be easy to see what different families like and try to incorporate them into the park itself.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. No surprised that he was met with it, after all it was a ludicrous request to ask a random stranger to meet with the CEO out of the blue like that. Isono let out a quiet sigh, he was about ready to apologize and let the poor woman hang up.

“Mr. Isono? You can tell your boss we'll be over as soon as possible.”

“Thank you ma'am, if you can call my office whenever you're ready I'll have a ride sent over.”


	2. Breaking the News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize for taking so long in posting this as well as for the future. I am going to be away later this month so I won't be able to write as much as I'd like to (Cruise baby!) So, I thank you all for being patient with the continuation of this happy family.
> 
> Thank you again to my Beta's and my partner in crime.
> 
> Thank you, the readers who gave this story kudos and hits. I'd appreciate some feedback as we go along with this together.
> 
> -Mod Panda

The rest of the day at work was pretty mundane and boring as all hell, but despite the dull and quietness of it, it kept his mind off that phone call from earlier. Find a family in two weeks or go back to the orphanage, he felt like a wild animal backed into the corner but he couldn't let that distract him. After all he had to tell his brother about their predicament, and he had just the perfect plan for it too.

Deciding to clock out early, he made his way home, making sure he had everything; wallet, ID, car keys. If those silly sitcoms in the break room taught him, talking things over food was the way to break important news be it a marriage talk or some stupid drama. He made a mental note to make sure to block those shows, they were also starting to get stale and he was pretty close to throwing something at the TV each time he went in for coffee.

Once he made it home, he made his way Mokuba's room where he found the boy with his capsule monster collection silently debating on where to put the latest monster in his set. Like Seto with Duel Monsters, he always had a team readied and balanced; even one monster out of place could wreck the foundation. He was an ambitious kid, that alone made him cracked a smile.

“Think any harder and your head will implode.” Seto teased.

Mokuba jumped in surprise and dropped the capsule. “Seto!” he turned to face him. “Everything okay? I heard some of the staff say you tried to bite off Isono's head.”

Seto waved his hand to dismiss it. “Exaggeration, nothing more.” He took out the wallet, “Hey, here's an idea; why don't we go to that new ice cream parlor that opened up while we were away? I think they have that chocolate parfait you're so fond of.” He offered, swaying Mokuba away from the topic at Kaiba Corp.

At the mention of his favorite dessert, his brother lit up like a little Christmas tree. Seto led him out of the manor and drove them to the mall where after parking they were already greeted by patrons staring in confusion and awe. Both dismissed the glances and made their way inside to get their cold treats. The only time they would react was whenever someone tried getting a picture via their cell phone; Mokuba always came with a snarky response and Seto just held a hand by his face to keep the camera off him. The typical life of a celebrity, the common people always taking unwanted photos of famous people doing mundane things.

“Get into the porn business if you're going to do creep shots buddy!” Mokuba called to the woman who was trying to tail and get a photo from the side. The woman dropped her phone, flustered at the comment the younger Kaiba had made. Seto looked down at his brother with a silent judging look.

“I taught you better.” He scolded.

Mokuba just grinned to his brother in response.

The two finally made their way to the parlor in question and got their desserts before settling in the very back of the shop, mostly to keep nosy eavesdroppers from listening in and to not disturb the innocent bystanders. The two brothers enjoyed their treats in silence for a while, letting the calm settle before Seto broke the news.

“I got a call from the orphanage today.” Seto said softly.

Mokuba nearly dropped his spoon, he looked up with concern. “What did they want?” he asked with a hint of worry.

“Someone told them about how we were living after our stepfather died. The blunt of it is that unless we find a guardian to watch over us in two weeks we're going to be sent back.”

“You're kidding.” Mokuba was shaking a little, he tried to keep his voice low to keep others from looking over. They weren't about to show weakness in front of others. “Please tell me you found someone?”

Seto nodded and laid his hand over his. “It's going to be fine, I already have Isono looking for someone. Knowing him he found someone and is probably going to contact us about them pretty soon. He hasn't let us down before and he won't start now.”

That lightened the mood a little. The two silently finished their ice cream and went back to the car to head home. Despite the assurance that everything was going to turn out right in the end, the two were still tense. Even if Isono found the ideal family for the time being, accepting them was going to be a trial on its own.   
But, they didn't necessarily have to interact with them, the family just had to live there with them until Seto turned eighteen - they could just keep a distance and only be around if they absolutely had to. Seto was going to keep a close eye on the new family regardless, he may not care about them in general but he would be damned if they tried hurting his brother!

The ride to the manor alone was a tense silence. The cellphone sitting beside them caused some stress within itself - both brothers were excited and dreading for the phone call from their secretary to update them. Seto reached into his coat pocket and took out a Rubix cube  to keep his hands busy, Mokuba started telling his brother about the different capsule monsters and what his team and strategy was for any upcoming tournaments. Finally, the phone rang, breaking the two out of their distressed daze. Seto reached and answered. He kept his calm exterior, took a few breaths to settle his breathing and closed his eyes to keep calm and his heartbeat steady.

“Yes?” He said in his cool voice.

“Mr. Kaiba, the family that fits your requirements agreed. The Dreemurr Family will be at the manor this afternoon.” Isono said with a hint of pride in his voice.

“Tell me everything you can about them.”

“Of course! The parents are Toriel and Asgore. Toriel is a teacher at a small school on the outskirts of Domino. Not only that, she also owns the school in question. Apparently she's sought after by some of the bigger schools like your high school, but she turns most of them down and her reason is “Unless my current students can go with, my answer is no.” She's a stay-at-home mother when the school season's are out.’

“Asgore on the other hand, he works at the nursery in Domino and racked up employe of the month each time. When he's not at the greenhouse, he's a freelance gardener always picking up extra work and he coaches at a local community center for little leagues.”

So far so good. Seto nodded in approval at that, his nerves were starting to ease. “Alright, what about the children, if they have any?”

“They have one biological son, and two adoptive daughters; Asriel Dreemurr, Frisk Dreemurr, and Chara Dreemurr. Asriel is a child prodigy of his own, he's always seen with a camera in hand as well as on a bike doing paper routes every morning. Frisk is a theater girl, she's in the city's theater group and has a shot at a scholarship to a school overseas. Chara on the other hand is in physical sports. She's the athletic of the three, winner of a few gold in fencing.”

Seto tapped his fingers in thought as he took all that information in. No criminal records, prodigy children in their own field that felt natural to them, and simple jobs. Sounded like everything is in order and that is what he is looking for.

“Isono, did they say when they were going to meet with us?”

“They said sometime this afternoon, I was about to send a ride over when you called.”

“Great timing then, we'll be ready for them. Isono.” Seto paused to take a breath. “Thank you. I don't say this often, but, you're a lifesaver.”

“It's been my pleasure, Mr. Kaiba.”

* * *

Seto glanced at the clock overhead and then at the Mokuba. It was officially 1:05 in the afternoon and they were about to meet and have the interview with the Dreemurr family. Both brothers were on the edge of the seat, the ticking of the clock seemingly mocking them, drawing out the day and purposely wasting it. Seto tapped the armrest of the couch. Mokuba picked up a mantle piece, a glass figure of the Kidmodo dragon.

“Hey Seto, how do you think they make these things?” He asked.

“Good question.” Seto replied. “Couldn't have been easy.”

“Do you have a Blue Eyes in your office?” He held the figure up to look at it in the light. “Maybe on the windowsill to catch light and make the awesome rainbow effect?”

Seto nodded. “Helps brighten the place when I'm working, yeah.”

The conversation ended there as the car pulled up to the manor. This is it, the moment of truth. Both brothers straightened themselves up and kept a professional air about them when the family walked in the door, and they had everything ready; what questions they were going to ask, the impression they were going to make. Everything had to be perfect.

“Right this way Mrs. Dreemur.” Isono's voice was heard in the entryway. “Mr. Kaiba is waiting for you.”

“Thank you Mr. Isono.” Mrs. Dreemur's voice came.

Gentle sounding. Then again she was a teacher and a stay at home mother, but what was she like in general was the main question.

Seto got up and went to the door as soon as he heard them approaching and held it open for them. “Thank you so much for--” He got a good look at the woman and fell quiet. “Coming...Mrs. Dreemur.” He had to force himself not to stare.

“Oh, it was no problem, Mr. Kaiba.” Toriel smiled.

Seto blinked multiple times and refrained from rubbing his eyes in front of the family to clear his vision. He isn’t sure whether he is hallucinating or not, but what is in front of him is not what a sane person would see on a daily basis.

What he believes he is seeing is a goat monster family...and while he is certain he is imagining their form, they are still very real. The two human children standing with them are still real. They are not a figment of his imagination. They are not finding this situation abnormal in the slightest. By that logic, they are seeing the same thing as him, so he is not creating a fictional hybrid family.

Still, the question remains...how is this possible? He doesn’t believe that these kind of beings exist, yet here they are, standing in front of him in the flesh.

The pressure of the woman’s stare woke him out of his daze of disbelief and he widened the door to allow more space for them to walk in.

“Right, um, do please come in.” Seto stepped aside, and his gaze met Toriel’s. He stretched his arm out to give permission to enter the room. Toriel took the cue and lead her family in, leaving Seto to close the door.

It was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so we're all clear; I am using every piece of Yu-Gi-Oh! Media I have to write this. Mangas, DVDs, Duelist of the Roses and Capsule Monsters Stadium for the PS2, A 3Ds game, and of course Sacred Cards and Reshef of Destruction for the Game Boy Advance. I am using everything I have to get the Kaibas down.


	3. The Interview

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said April was going to be crazy? I wasn't kidding around when I said that, I've been doing nothing but house cleaning, and errand running which meant I didn't have the time to write anything. I'm hoping to have some things spark when i'm on vacation [Notebooks baby!] but if not, that's fine. The fact I finally got this up before I leave this Saturday makes me happy.
> 
> Thanks to the usual crew, you were awesome. And Special Thanks to I-am-jegus for helping out when my Beta's were away due to Finals being here. You are awesome my friend! 
> 
> And as always, Thank you everyone; for giving this hits, kudos, bookmarks, comments. If we can continue with comments that would make my day even better, I really do want to hear from you. And now, without further ado, Chapter Three.
> 
> -Mod Panda

_“As I was walking up the stairs_  
_I met a man who was not there._  
_He wasn't there again today_  
_I wish, I wish he'd go away.”_

Seto opened his eyes to see the goat monsters still standing before him. Nope. Still there. _“Usually that poem works, looks like we really have monsters in our manor.”_

He shook his head and leaned back in the couch, crossing one leg over the other. “You understand what this interview is about, correct?” he asked.

“Yes, it has something to do with a project you are working on.” Toriel nodded. “We will do our best to answer any and all questions as truthfully as possible.”

“Good. Because if there's one thing I can't stand, it’s lying snakes. I have enough of those to deal with at the office.” He grabbed a clipboard that held their questions on it. “First thing; how would you describe your home life?”

“I would say our home life is rather good, we live in a small house just outside Domino,” Toriel started. “We have a morning routine; I usually get up first to get breakfast going, my husband comes in next for tea and the morning paper before going to work. And our three children come down later for breakfast and last minute work on yesterday's assignments before we head off to school.”

Monotonous. But it sounded good, the only thing Seto had concerns about was the morning breakfast as he usually had servants here to do the household work.

“Would you be bothered if you found someone else taking care of breakfast?”

“Not at all, why?”

Seto ignored the answer and wrote her answer down with his own notes. “Have you ever tried your hand at the lottery?”

“No, but Chara has. She's always determined to try to get us into a bigger house. I'm not sure why, as our house is big enough. Everyone has their own room, and we have the space to move around.” Toriel explained. “I guess the size reminds her of life in the Underground.”

“The Underground,” Seto repeated. “Could you elaborate that for me?”

“Certainly. A long time ago, the monsters were trapped under Mt. Ebbot. It was a lonely life down there. Granted, we had our own societies: Hotland and Snowdin, but everyone longed to see the sun again. Frisk and Chara climbed the mountain and arrived down where they lived with us for a time.”

“And living in a small house reminds Chara of it?”

“I suppose so, but we don't really have the funds on hand to move to a bigger place. Which is fine, everyone is doing what they can for us to afford one.”

Okay, this could work. Both parties would benefit in their situation; The Dreemurrs could have a bigger space to live in, and Seto would have a guardian figure for the time being. But it was too soon to make any final decisions, he still wanted to be sure that Toriel wouldn't take advantage of the offer given to her or her family.

“Sounds like you're hard workers.” Seto nodded. “On the topic of kids, have you ever thought about having another child or two?”

Toriel chuckled and smiled a little sadly. “It is wishful thinking. We would love to expand the family but again, with our housing condition, I'm afraid we're going to have to put that wish on hold.”

“I see.” He set the pen down and switched the page over. “I think we're good here. If you could send Asriel in?”

*** * ***

Seto wasn't going to lie, he lost track of time when him and Mokuba finally got down to Frisk and Chara. Hell, he even lost track of some of the family's responses to the questions he asked. One would argue it would be because he's talking to both monsters and humans, but in actuality he was just bored and wanted to reveal the true nature of this to them and get it over with, even though the two week limit had started, he felt as though he was wasting precious time with each passing second.

“Are we boring you, Mr. Kaiba?” Frisk asked, snapping him back to reality.

“No, you're fine.” Seto straightened up and gave his full attention to the interview again. “You were saying?”

Frisk continued to add onto her answer. “I was saying that when we're not busy in athletics or theater, Chara and I usually hang around the shopping center with Asriel. We either window shop or just chill at the arcade. Chara's mostly found at the shooting games. Last week she was playing that sword fighting game Mazan Flash of the Blade.”

“And Frisk is always found at games like Deal or No Deal, or any other ticket winning games!” Chara chimed with a proud smile. “She always wins something off the shelves for us!”

“So it’s safe to assume you three most likely get along,” Seto noted and scribbled it onto the paper. “This is good. One final thing: suppose you do get a new sibling, what exactly would you look for in them?”

“No offense, but I'm getting this super weird feeling this is more than an interview for a family park.” Chara said in a blunt tone. Her eyes narrow suspiciously at Seto. “Your questions sound a lot like the ones a social worker would ask.”

That got both brothers to freeze up on the spot, furthering confirming Chara's statement. The girl in question nodded and leaned back with a small grin on her face.

“So I was right. Come on, what is the real reason for this interview? We won't judge you for honesty.”

Seto coughed before turning to the door and glanced to see Mokuba fidgeting beside him nervously. Chances were if the parents and the son were part goat or something they probably had better hearing than humans.

They shared a silent conversation with their expressions before making the decision to tell the truth.

“You three might as well come back in here,” He called. After a few seconds, the rest of the family came back in and took their seats beside the twins.

“I'm going to pretend you heard Chara, so I'm just going to cut to the chase.” Seto set the clipboard and pen down in his lap before crossing his arms. “I've received a rather unpleasant phone call from my former place of living. They threatened to get social workers involved if I didn't cooperate. Apparently, a teenager running a successful company hit the wrong nerve and they decided to-” He stopped and shook his head, there was no need to go on a tangent. “Anyway, this was just a screening process. You don't have to accept to play family here...but it would be appreciated if you did say yes.”

Toriel raised a concerned eyebrow at that. “You don't have anyone?”

Mokuba shook his head. “We had someone when we were younger, but he's no longer with us. It's been Seto and I ever since.”

“And how old are you two?”

“Ten.” Mokuba replied quickly, though his expression told that he didn’t understand the relevance.

“And I'm fifteen.” Seto answered.

 _A couple of children running a successful company...Poor souls,_ Toriel thought sympathetically. _I will have to look more into what happened with them._

“Mr. Kaiba, I think we can work with this. I personally don't mind being a foster parent until this clears up. Besides, in a sense, we both get something out of this,” Toriel smiled. “Now then, since today is Friday we can use this weekend to get to know each other better before we meet with the orphanage on Monday. Do you have any ground rules for our stay until then?”

Both brothers stare in surprise. She sure didn't hesitate in agreeing to such a ludicrous request. The lack of disagreement from the rest of the family didn’t help either. But they understood where they were standing and was willing to help them. That is the most important thing here, and it doesn’t matter how it gets done--strange family or not.

Seto looked to the rest of the family to see their expressions. Asgore had a gentle smile, and the three siblings were trying to keep their composure. He couldn’t tell if they were restless from the awkward silence or if they were actually excited. He decides it’s better to not know and stiffens his lip. What is better is to let them know where their place is.

“Just a few. The first is an obvious one; so help me if I find out you harmed my brother in any way, shape, or form, you'll be heading to an early grave,” Seto had to consciously put effort into relaxing his grip on the armrest of the chair. He can’t scare the family too much. “Second; We're rather busy people, so please refrain from bothering us when we're working. Those are the two main ones. I could care less what you do around here.”

“We accept your terms Seto,” Asgore said. “Do you want us to get our things today or when we officially move in on Monday?”

“Whatever you think is easier for you.” Seto stood up with Mokuba. The Dreemurrs followed suit. “We'll show you to your rooms.” They turned and lead the family to the bedrooms upstairs without saying another word. This might work out, just as long as they stayed out of the way of private affairs, they won't have a problem. They could do this. They could play happy family to get that director to shut up. Seto will still be able to have the company and keep his brother from going back to the orphanage. He might have to find a way to keep the press quiet about the whole ordeal, but he would worry about that later. Right now, he was more focused on the weekend with the Dreemurrs and how the days will play out.


	4. The Weekend: Saturday Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I guess this is where I apologize for once again taking forever. Well guess what, despite that Finals should be over they're not. Some of my partners in crime are busy with life and thus the polishing chapters of this crossover are constantly on hold.
> 
> Hopefully, from here on out, Pleasingly and I SHOULD be able to carry on with the role play that will give the fuel to this. And hopefully, even after we finish our thread, I carry this on to Dark Side of Dimensions. I am going all the way on this. 
> 
> Now without further ado, here is the long awaited chapter

Chapter 4: The Weekend: Saturday

 

Weekends were the only days that didn't make him tear at his hair out of stress. No work, no phone calls, nothing but the sweet solitude of silence and sleeping in during the day. At least, that's what he thought would be the case. Seto was greeted to a gentle knock on the door to which he automatically assumed to be a new servant who didn't know how his days worked out. That was until he heard a familiar baritone voice.

“Seto? My wife has breakfast on if you're hungry.”

Right, now he remembered, Asgore Dreemurr and his family were staying for the weekend until they were able to meet with the orphanage director on Monday. Seto groaned and threw the covers off him before dragging himself to the door, he opened it a crack so only their eyes would meet.

“I'll be down shortly.” he said sharply.

“Oh, take your time.” Asgore assured. “Uh, you’re not opposed to pancakes are you?”

Seto shakes his head. “Weekdays I have a quick breakfast before I head off to work. Weekends are indulgent days, so pancakes are fine. Please inform your wife to refrain from adding chocolate chips to mine, I'm not one for sweets.”

“You and Mokuba surely have your preference. He told me you more prefer fresh fruit in your cakes,” Asgore said gently. “And that you have an ...eccentric taste for coffee, you pour five hour energy in your cup?” 

That got Seto to narrow his eyes. “If you're about to lecture me about my health, stop while you're ahead. My health is fine, doctor visits are always up to code.”

Asgore backed off from that; his wife had warned him that there was a chance the brothers would get a little hostile when pressed on about personal life around the manor. But, at least he got an idea of what to tell Toriel about the breakfast order. They wanted to leave a good first impression on the brothers.

“Right, my apologies Seto. I'll let you get dressed and I'll see you at the dining hall.”

Seto watched Asgore walk down the hall before he closed the door. With a sigh, he ran his hand over his eyes to wipe the sleep out of them. So much for sleeping in this morning. He got dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans before washing his face and heading downstairs to meet up with the rest of the family.

Sure enough, Mokuba was already awake and sitting at the table with the rest of them, save for Toriel who was likely in the kitchen. Seto leaned on the wall and kept silent as he watched the siblings interact with each other. They were mostly talking about what they planned to do today, if not that, the twins would usually talk duel monsters with his brother. Deeming it was alright to enter, he made his way over to his normal spot at the far end of the table and rested his head on his hand.

“Well look who's out of his coffin!” Mokuba laughed. “Someone left the stone off this time?”

Seto just shot a smirk at him. “Nah, they forgot to stake me before sealing it.”

Chara looked at Mokuba after hearing that. “Your brother is into vampires?”

“Don't make me laugh, he doesn't read those types of books unless it's Bram Stoker's Dracula. Even then, the only time he reads it is if he's having another restless night and needs a way to sleep.” Mokuba took a drink of orange juice.

“A classic.” Asriel noted. “I've only started it myself, it's for an assignment.” He said as he gave his mother a nervous glance. Toriel just stared her son down, silently letting him know he still had to read the chapters she assigned him and her other students. He just held his hand up in surrender  
  
“Ah, I plan to read more after breakfast!”  
  
That got her to nod in approval and Seto to just smirk in reply. Well if the three had homework to do it might make this weekend a lot easier - they wouldn't get in the way of any personal projects he might want to work on, nor would he have to worry about the siblings being alone with his brother.

The rest of the breakfast went without a problem. Seto mostly ate in silence as the family tried engaging them in conversation, trying to get to know the brothers a little bit better. While Mokuba was quick to answer some questions such as what he enjoys to do during the weekend, Seto just gave short answers.  
  
“So Seto, you don't really have work today do you?” Frisk asked.  
  
“I don't have to go to the office if that's what you mean.” He replied as he took a sip from his coffee.  
  
“Well, I was just wondering if we could duel some day? I don't have much of a deck, but I still want to see you in action if that's okay?” She looked at him with a hint of hope in her eyes.  
  
Seto thought it over, on one hand it would keep his deck from being coated in dust while he worked on some main designs for the upcoming Kaiba Land. But on the other hand, it wouldn't really be much of a challenge dueling her. Still, Mokuba wasn't much for duel monsters but they still played together, not to mention he could try out the latest design of his duel disk to check for any bugs or flaws, and what better way to see if it works than a test duel?  
  
“One round.” he said. “And don't think I'm going to go easy on you because you're a rookie.”  
  
Frisk smiled. “I wouldn't ask for it any other way. Whenever you're ready, we'll play, okay?”  
  
“It probably won't be for a while, I need to get a few finishing touches done. I'm estimating around Sunday or Monday.”  
  
“Sounds like a plan then.”

Seto left the conversation at that, when he finished his plate and his coffee, he got up and left for his office with his brother following close behind them, leaving the goat family alone for the time being.  
  
Frisk nodded. “I guess on that note, we'll just explore the place so we don't get too lost in here?”  
  
“Just keep in mind of the boundaries. I don't think they would be too happy about you going through their personal rooms.” Toriel said.  
  
“Don't worry mom, we won't.” Chara got up and followed her siblings out of the room.  
  
*** * ***  
  
“I can see the headline on the next gossip page.” Mokuba was playing with a cat's cradle. “Kaiba Family adopted by monsters of the underground! The gossip blogs are going to have a field day with us now!”

“That may be true, but we can't really afford to be picky right now. Besides, that family won't stay long.” Seto was pulling up his computer and going through every phone log from the company. He had a feeling the Big Five were responsible and to be fair, he wouldn't put it pass them to play this low ball, but he needed proof.

“Yeah, yeah.” Mokuba set the string game down. “They're here until you're eighteen. So what do we do for today? I mean, we can't really hide out at the office. Our 'favorite' group works on weekends.”

Seto thought it over for a bit before shrugging. “Well, we could hang out here for the time being until they come to us for something,” He offered. “I think the checkers board is around here somewhere.”

That got his brother's eyes to light up some. It had been a long time since they'd played a round or two against each other. The last time they had a little camp out in Seto's room or office was sometime after their stepfather had passed away, and his employees wouldn't stop pestering them to the point of stress. Those were their quiet days; locking the world out of their safe haven and playing games for hours on end.

Days like that were missed dearly. Seto closed his eyes and took a breath before he turned off his computer, he got up and went over to the door to lock it with the intent of keeping the new family out of this particular room. He pressed his ear to the door and listened for any sign of movement. nothing, even better. He pulled back and went back to his brother who was now setting up their game.

“Red or black, Seto?”

“You know me by now. Black.” He sat down on the ground with him. “Red moves first,” he reminds. 

*** * ***

On the other side of the manor, the Dreemurr siblings were walking about and exploring what they could. A few times Frisk had to pull Chara away from a locked door. Despite those hiccups, they had a better understanding of their new siblings and how they lived. Very strict and orderly. The only sign of life of chaos was Mokuba's room, with his capsule monsters and playing fields laying about. 

They finally made their way to the guests' rooms and sat on one of the beds to talk about the duo without the risk of being overheard by anyone.

“I feel this strange urge to drag Seto out of the house.” Chara said.

“Chara,” Frisk warned. “No, we want them to warm up to us, not hate us.”

“She has a point Chara.” Asriel added. “I mean, they're treating us like we're landmines, so we're not entirely on their 'trust' list.”

Chara just shrugged. “Yeah, I know. But still, we can at least try to get them out of the house even if it's for a walk in the park.”

“With the way they live, I don't think a walk in the park is that simple.” Frisk played with a pillow. “I mean, they're probably constantly followed by bloggers and gossip writers. He might be too embarrassed to be seen with us.”

“Seriously Frisk, have you seen him? He's like Mettaton, he would shoot down those jerks in a heartbeat or make them regret following us.”

“We're not taking chances, Chara.” Asriel told her. “Besides, he probably already has plans for the weekend and interrupting them might only cause problems in the end.”

Chara just flopped on the bed and sighed, she always hated how her siblings were right. Still, the way that the brothers lived worried not only her but her siblings. Seto and Mokuba were like them, they were kids. They shouldn't have to deal with the stress and pressure of running a corporation all day! They deserved a day off every now and then.

The room went quiet for a moment, the three silently looking at each other trying to think of ideas and ways to help the two brothers not only get used to them but to also relax every once in a while. Their silence was interrupted by their mother knocking and walking into the room with a plate in hand.

“Hey mom.” Frisk greeted with a smile. “I see you made lunch!”

“Frisk, we've had this talk. This is just a light snack.” Toriel scolded with a smile of her own. “Now then, what seems to be the cause of thunder in this room?”

Asriel took one of the cookies. “We're thinking about how we can help the brothers out in warming up and relaxing around us. Don't suppose you have any ideas?”

Toriel looked down a little. “My child, I'm glad you want to help them, however--” she made her way to the bed and sat down beside them. “--These boys are going through a lot right now. They've been alone for a long time, and have been through a lot of trauma. The trauma may not even be over.” She laid a gentle paw on Asriel's shoulder. “I've been experienced with children in the past before I had you and before we adopted Frisk and Chara.” She reminded. “So believe me when I say, the best we can do for them now is be supportive of them and care for them like we do with each other – with love. They may ignore our kindness, but please be understanding of them. Be the best siblings you can be for them.”

“Do you really think it'll work?” Chara asked.

“It might, it might not.” She stood up. “Now then, let's go deliver these to them and we can have a family game night.”

Chara grinned and got up. “Yes! We can play Blackjack!”

“My child, how in heaven's name do you know how to play that game?” 

“Sans taught Azzy and I, same with Grillby!” Chara had a proud smile on her face. “Sans kind of cheats though.”

Toriel shook her head. Though Sans was a responsible one at times, there were also times she questioned him. She wouldn't lie, she enjoyed his wise cracking jokes and the pranks he pulled on people, but when it came to the well-being of others that is where he had to pause and think things through. Of course, he was a better cook than his brother, even if he went a bit overboard with the ketchup.  
  
“Well, with that said, let's go find their room.”  
  
*** * ***  
  
“Augh! Seriously?! How do you keep winning?” Mokuba demanded.  
  
Seto just had a cocky smile as he reset the board for another round. “Shark move little brother. It's what hustlers at bars do to win extra money, they play poorly at first before raising the stakes and turning the game around to win.” He leaned back to let his brother make the first move. “Not that I've done such a thing before.”  
  
“You liar, you've done this before haven't you!”  
  
“Maybe once after we got our underground informants, but it was to double the money our 'beloved' stepfather gave us.”  
  
Mokuba shook his head and tossed a small crumpled paper at him. “You are just horrible you know that?”  
  
Seto laughed and caught it. “Good thing we're not betting anything.” He went to make his move but froze. He heard someone outside his room and kept quiet, he made the 'shh' motion to his brother ordering him to do the same thing.  
  
“I think this is his room,” Came a young gentle voice. It had to be either Frisk or Asriel he decided.  
  
“Yeah, his was the only one that was locked.” No, this was Asriel, he had a softer voice than Frisk.  
  
“Thank you my children.” A knock came soon after. “Seto? It's me Toriel. We brought you and your brother some snacks if you are hungry. I know we're not entirely your favorite people right now but, if you like, we will be playing blackjack. If you want to join us, we'll be in the living room.”  
  
A game of blackjack? These goat monsters know how to play? Seto got up and went to the door, opening the door ever slightly so only his face was visible to the small group.  
  
“We'll be there shortly.” He took the basket from her. “Thank you for the snacks.”

“Oh! Take your time, Seto, we're not pressuring you or anything.” She gave a gentle smile.  
  
Seto just gave a hum before closing the door. Toriel took her children from the hall and went down to the living room with them. Seto on the other hand returned to his brother's side and set the basket beside them.  
  
“What was that all about?” Mokuba asked, honing in on the treats.  
  
Seto shrugged and took one of the cookies out. “They wanted us to play a game of blackjack. Guess they know some decent games after all.” Seto took a bite and felt his eyes light up a little. Though he had tasted Toriel's cooking earlier in the morning, he never actually got a chance to actually let the flavors settle, that and he was also too tired to even notice a difference between her cooking and the maids.  
  
“So, I guess we're going to head down to play?” Mokuba took a few as well. “These are pretty good, Toriel's a good cook!”  
  
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “She really is. And yes, we may as well honor them in a game. A few rounds shouldn't hurt.” He stood up and picked up the basket. “We're taking this with us too. No sense gaming on an empty stomach.”

  
Mokuba grinned at his brother; there was no doubt in his mind that Seto was going to wipe the floor with the family in the game. The fact his brother was a top gamer changed the odds in a lot of things, so this was no doubt going to be a short round indeed. He stood up and followed him out of the room and to the living room where the family were getting the coffee table set up for blackjack; from the looks of it, Asgore was the dealer.  
  
“Pour me a glass of Cuba Libre and deal me in.” Seto said as he sat down at the table.  
  
Asgore looked at him with a displeased look. “There will be no alcohol consumption for the duration of the game.” he scolded as he dealt the cards out.  
  
Seto scoffed. Fine by him, he always had a glass of wine during dinner anyway. “Whatever you say, Mr. Dreemurr.”  
  
“The fact you're drinking at a young age concerns me.” Toriel spoke up.  
  
“A glass of wine with filet mignon is my go to.” Seto looked at his hand. A five and a two. “So I just want to double check on things; you do know how the game works right?”  
  
Chara grinned “Yeah, it's us vs. the dealer. We have to make sure not to go over 21, in traditional senses we would be betting as we go along, starting with five dollars and increase with each round. However, because this is just for the hell of it, we have poker chips to use.”  
  
Seto nodded. “Then let the game begin,”


	5. Saturday Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's really nothing I can say except the usual thank you to my partners in crime, as well as a Thank you to fictionalsadist for being a fresh pair of eyes for this.
> 
> -Mod Panda

Chapter 5: Saturday Night

  
A tap of the finger.

A wave of the hand horizontally.

Chara was the first one out, followed by Asriel, Toriel, Frisk, and finally Mokuba. It was finally down between Seto and Asgore. Seto kept his composure throughout the game, he played with a chip watching the dealer.

“Hit me.” Seto said finally.

A card was flipped. A seven to add to his five, two, and the other seven. Seto grinned and waved his hand horizontally after sliding his cards under the chips. He leaned back in his chair, silently challenging the dealer. Asgore wouldn't be able to break the score without going over, the match went to the teenage CEO.

“Impressive.” Asriel stared. “Seto really knows what he's doing!”

Mokuba looked over from the cookie in his hand. “Well yeah, he is a champion in the game world.” he took a bite. “Well, sort of before that starfish took the throne”

“Starfish?” Frisk repeated. “You mean Yugi right?”

Seto looked over at her with a narrowed eye expression. “I would appreciate if we didn't curse in front of my brother.”

“But Yugi isn't-” Mokuba was interrupted with a gentle nudge from his brother. “Okay, okay. You win.” He muttered.

“I...take it you two don't entirely get along.” Frisk bit her lips. “Is it okay if I ask why?”

“You can ask, but that doesn't mean I'm going to honor an answer.” Seto replied in a cold tone.

Seto took the cards and shuffled them to distract himself and to keep his hands busy, that comment alone got the room to fall quiet. Frisk was curious why Seto didn't get along with Yugi, but that harsh and cold tone said not to press her luck, and with that hard stare he was giving it got Chara and Asriel on edge, ready to jump in to protect their sister in case Seto tried anything on the harsh side of things.

Toriel noticed the tensed situation and cleared her throat to break the ice. “Right then, I do believe it is time to get dinner going.” She stood up. “Why don't you clear the table and get washed up?”

“As you wish, Mrs. Dreemur.” Seto stood up and took the cards with him. “Come on Mokuba.”

The family watched the two brothers leave the room before turning to each other in silent conversation. To Toriel, Seto seemed like he might be a lost cause with how easily hostile he was, still she wasn't one to give up on her goals. She was determined to make them feel like a family by any means she could. Asgore had his own doubts however, if Seto was easily upset, he could harm the other children, no doubt in his mind he was going to keep a close eye on the young CEO. Asriel and his siblings just left to use one of the extra bathrooms in the manor to wash up, they didn't really have any strong opinions on the brothers just yet, but they were going to do what they could to get them to open up as well as try to undo whatever damage was done to them.

“Of course, that's a lot easier said than done.” Frisk murmured to herself.

Chara looked up from drying her hands. “Say something?”

Frisk shook her head. “I was just thinking about Seto and Mokuba is all.”

“You know what mom said. These two aren't letting the shield down anytime soon.” She laid a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, think of it this way. We got them to play a game with us, that alone says we're doing something right.” A small smile was Frisk's answer. Chara went from her shoulder to ruffling her hair as she lead her out. “Come on loser, dinner should be starting soon.”

When the family regrouped, everything was set and readied. Seto was at the head with his brother, Asriel was across from them and between his two sisters. Asgore and Toriel were a few seats away from the group, close enough to act if needed, but far to give them their space. Dinner was a wide assortment of kid friendly food like spaghetti and pizza, as well as adult friendly like beef tips with wine sauce, and filet mignon. Normally, Seto barely noticed how food was cooked since he was used to the maids being the main cooks and everything tasted the same. But today however, after trying Toriel's cooking, his eyes lit up a little bit, this was better than anything he had! Mokuba had the same reaction but kept a level head throughout it like his brother, if this is what dinner was like, he couldn't wait for dessert!

“This is...pretty good.” Seto finally said, earning a few smiles in the process. “So, uh I might have spaced out when I was interviewing you but, do you have...hobbies?”

Asriel spoke up. “Well, film is a hobby of mine. Photography and videotaping.” He started off. “I have an older model but it still works and it still gets the job done!”

“Okay when you say 'older model' how old are we talking about?”

“It...still needs vhs tapes, video wise. Uh for photography wise, I still need to buy rolls of film.”

Seto held his head and took a deep breath, his new brother was going to need a major upgrade. “Okay, tomorrow, we're going out to get you a new camera.”

That got everyone's attention, especially Mokuba's, surprising to hear that Seto was willing to do something that nice for someone. It was a little refreshing for Frisk to hear that, especially since the elder Kaiba was known for being harsh and cold to others.

Asriel couldn't stop his tail from wagging in excitement when he heard that. “A-Are you serious?”

“Kid, I am hardly known for joking.” Seto took another bite of the food. “We'll head out tomorrow after breakfast”

“I...I don't know what to say except thank you!” He held himself back from rushing over and hugging Seto on the spot. “I'll think of something to repay you for this!”

Seto just shook his head. “There's really no need to.” he assured him. “However, I won't stop you doing so if that is what you want.” He returned his attention to the food and frowned a bit, he now just realized that he was without wine. “I Normally have Albarino or something dry with this particular dish.”

“As my husband had said, no underage drinking.” Toriel scolded. “Seto, you're fifteen you shouldn't be drinking that age.”

“I believe we've had a discussion about my health earlier this morning? That you should back off as all my doctor visits are up to code and-”

“- And nothing. There is no underage drinking while we're here and that's final.”

That got both Seto and Mokuba's full attention. Seto just narrowed his eyes slightly at Toriel before speaking “I am going to pretend you didn't raise your voice at me, Mrs. Dreemur.” he said coldly.

“And I am going to pretend that tone you're using isn't a threatening one. Stand down now, Seto Kaiba.” Toriel didn't take her gaze off him for a second. “Though the arrangement hasn't been official, Asgore and I are still the authority figure as agreed.”

“And it was also agreed that you wouldn't get too involved in our personal life while you lived here.” he hissed. “You may be playing parental figure here-”

“Stop while you're ahead. You are right, the agreement is that while we live here we won't pry or dig into your personal life, but believe me when I say I have ways to learn about one's past, do not make me go down that route.” She warned. “Once we're officiated on Monday, you have to live by our rules for three years. Am I clear, Seto?”

Seto stood up and clenched his hands on the table cloth. Toriel didn't even flinch at the sudden movement, she just stayed sitting with her head held high and keeping her gaze locked on Seto. Tension fell upon the room as both families looked on, worried about what would happen. Though Toriel was a pacifist, she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty if anyone or anything threatened her family. Seto was also willing to get his hands dirty, even going as far as killing someone to keep his brother safe.

Seto leaned forward a little, “You clearly have no clue who you are dealing with, Toriel.” he growled. “I can make your lives miserable with just one phone call. Think before you find yourself over your head, you have no idea what we've been through so don't fucking pretend you care about us.” He turned to storm out of the room.

Toriel just calmly took a drink of water. “You're absolutely right, I don't know what you boys have been through. Though I do suspect that abuse have had a play in the trauma you went through.”

Seto froze in his tracks, further confirming it. “Again. Stop while you're ahead.” he hissed.

“Very well Seto.” She stood up and collected her plate and his. “But don't think this conversation is over, in time we will continue on. I know what happens when someone holds in a great burden, and believe me, I've seen many succumb to their downfall from it.” and without another word, she left for the kitchen to do the dishes. The rest of the group just slowly dispersed after turning in their plates and heading to different parts of the manor for the night.

*** * ***

**Chime.**  
**Chime.**  
**Chime.**

Seto yawned and looked at the time; it was three in the morning according to the old grandfather clock in the study. He rubbed his eyes and turned back to his current project; an update to the duel disk. He liked the yoyo aspect of the old one, but it was getting time for a new upgrade, something to make playing the game easier for everyone rather than chasing cards after being ejected. That was a rather stupid move on his end.

Aside from the sounds of sparks and metal work, the rest of the manor was silent. Well, silent save for Asgore's snoring in the guest room. Toriel was up in the living room with a book, she couldn't fall asleep even if she wanted to. Seto could care less what that goat woman was up to, as long as she kept her distance he would be fine.

As Seto tested the functions of the disk, he heard footsteps outside his door. Looking up expecting to see Mokuba up for a late night snack, he was face to face with Frisk. “Do You have a hall pass?” he called to her, causing her to jump.

“Oh! Seto! I'm sorry I didn't know you were awake. I was just getting some water from the kitchen.” She looked up at him worried. “Aren't you tired?”

Seto held up a five hour energy drink. “I'm fine.” he assured her.

A small wince. “Promise me you'll try to get some sleep at least? I know you're a busy person, but you won't do your company any good if you're sleep deprived.”

He just nodded and set the bottle down. “Thank you for your concern, have a good night.”

Frisk just nodded and made her way to the living room where her mother was. She looked at Toriel with a tiny smile, Seto wasn't hostile like he was at dinner. That had to be a small progress right? Toriel returned the smile and watched her scurry to the kitchen. With a sigh, Toriel put her book down. She knew going to Seto immediately would probably cause more tension between them – he was a creature of intense emotion, that much was clear. Then again, she suspected abuse had some part to play in that, but prying it out of him wouldn’t work.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Frisk came back out of the kitchen with her glass of water. Seeing her with the glass gave her an idea.

“Frisk, dear, did Seto mention when he would be going to bed?” _If at all._

Frisk gulped down her mouthful and wiped her lips with the sleeve of her pajamas before replying. “Um, he said thanks for me being concerned when I asked him to go to bed.” she said.

Toriel sighed upon hearing this. Of course Seto had tried to brush it aside. Still, she could try.

“Darling, when you go back past his room, would you maybe try again? Gently, of course, and if he gets angry just leave. Would you do that for me?” she asked gently.

Frisk nodded with a smile. “Sure thing!”

‘Thank you dear.’ Toriel smiled and kissed her daughter on the head. ‘Goodnight now, sweetheart.’

‘Goodnight, mom! Love you!’ Frisk chirped and skittered off down the hallway. Toriel watched her go, wondering at how she had such lovely children. For now, she had work to do in the kitchen.

Seto was still working on the duel disk when Frisk trotted by again. He didn’t want to talk to her this time, he kept his head down to make sure she knew that as she stopped outside the door. He continued to ignore her figuring she was just looking, and would go back to bed soon.

No such luck.

“Hey, Seto?” her little voice asked gently as he paused to switch tools.

He sighed. There would be no solace for him tonight.

“What do you want, Frisk?” he gritted out, trying to remain calm so he didn’t blow a blood vessel.

The girl flinched at his tone before replying to him.“Um, do you remember at dinner, you said tomorrow you’d take Asriel out to buy a new camera?” she asked gently.

“Yes.” he replied, somewhat exasperatedly. Of course he remembered distinctly saying exactly that, just before Toriel had pissed him off with her house rules.

Frisk visibly swallowed and looked thoughtful, choosing her next words carefully. “Okay. Well, uh, I was just thinking; it really will mean a lot to Asriel to do that for him. He doesn’t talk about it all the time but he really does love photography. He’d be really happy if you did that. And I figured it’d be a lot easier on everyone if we all got some sleep?” she squeaked, unsure how he’d take it.

Seto sighed and looked at what he'd done so far on his duel disk. Surprisingly, he felt himself stifling a yawn, maybe the kid was right.

‘Mm, okay then. Maybe you’re right.’ he mumbled.

“R-really? That’s great! I’ll see you in the morning then! Goodnight, Seto!” she smiled and scurried off the bed down the hallway.

“It already is morning, technically.” Seto grumbled to himself, but he couldn’t find the energy to be humored at his own snark.

He decided to, for once, listen to the advice of an almost – stranger, and go to bed. Really, Frisk’s reasoning was pretty logical - he’d have a much nicer time going shopping with Asriel tomorrow if he’d actually gotten some sleep first. Coffee did wonderful things to a tired person, but nothing really quite beat a good night’s rest.

Seto got up from his desk and wandered up through the cavernous halls of the manor, letting the tiredness sink into his body as he walked. Walking along the hallway to his room, he saw his bedroom door open, and Toriel step out. Anger flared inside, and immediately his fatigue evaporated.

“What the hell are you doing in my room?!” he demanded, stalking up to the goat woman.

Toriel, for her part, remained relatively calm as she stared down the fiery wrath of Seto. “I was checking to see if you were in bed. Clearly, you’re not.” she said softly.

“I don’t need you watching over me like a hawk, I’m not a child and shouldn’t be treated like one!” he forced out, trying to keep his voice low. He could care less if the Dreemurr family woke up, but his brother was still a kid and needed his rest, he wasn't going to wake him up.

Surprisingly enough, Toriel didn’t say anything. The way she’d talked back to him at dinner, he’d expected her to come crashing down with all her ‘motherly duties’ nonsense. She simply pulled the bedroom door shut and stepped aside.

“I know.” Toriel replied gently. “I know you feel the weight and responsibility that an adult does, even if you are still only fifteen, and I know you hate being talked down to. For that, I am sorry that I tried to enforce my house rules at dinner.” She said.

Toriel turned around, her back to him but still speaking to him. “Seto, we are going to talk about your habits and behavior and how they may have originated, one way or another. There’s no getting out of it. But…” She turned her head a little to look at him. “We are going to talk about them when you’re ready to, I won’t force you to comply. But I am going to be looking out for your health, I only want to care for you, Seto. That means I listen and accept what you’re ready to share with me, when you’re ready to. And also…” she smiled, “When you’ve gotten some sleep.” she cocked her head to point her horns to his bedroom as she walked down to corridor towards the room she and Asgore shared.

“Goodnight Seto. I hope you sleep well.”

Seto looked after her long after she’d turned the corner. He was rattled and surprised, to say the least. He shook himself off and opened his bedroom door to assess the damage; to his relief nothing seemed to have been moved or touched. He stepped inside and closed the door and was greeted by a sweet and warm scent. Turning on the light, he looked around and saw there was a mug of hot chocolate waiting on his bedside table, still steaming and hot.

He allowed himself a small smile as he saw the drink. Toriel may not be his favorite person in the world right now, but damn if she didn’t try to be a good mother.


End file.
